Customer satisfaction score (CSAT)
Customer satisfaction score (CSAT) measures how satisfied respondents are with a specific interaction, product, or experience, usually from a short rating scale. It is commonly the percentage of responses at or above a 'satisfied' threshold (for example the top two boxes of a five-point scale). CSAT is moment-specific and threshold-dependent, so the same data can yield different CSAT values under different scoring rules.
What this means
CSAT asks something like 'how satisfied were you', answered on a scale (often 1–5 or 1–7). The score is usually reported as the percentage of respondents who chose a satisfied option — frequently the 'top two boxes' (e.g. 4 and 5 on a five-point scale). Because it targets a specific experience, CSAT is a snapshot of one moment, not a relationship-wide measure like NPS.
Scale and threshold dependence
CSAT has no single universal formula, so its value depends on choices: the scale length (5-point vs 7-point), whether the score is a percentage of top boxes or an average rating, and where the 'satisfied' line is drawn. Two teams can score identical responses differently. CSAT is also subject to response bias — people with strong feelings answer more — and to timing, since asking immediately after a resolved issue reads differently than asking days later. State the method whenever you report it.
- Often %top-box (e.g. 4–5 on a 5-point scale)
- Scale length and threshold change the score
- Moment-specific, unlike relationship-level NPS
How it appears in analytics and logs
A CSAT figure reflects satisfaction at a particular moment, defined by the scale and threshold used. Changing the top-box cutoff or scale length changes CSAT without any change in real sentiment.
Diagnostic use case
Use CSAT to gauge satisfaction with a specific touchpoint, being explicit about the scale and which responses count as 'satisfied'.
What WebmasterID can help detect
WebmasterID can record a first-party satisfaction-rating event tied to a page or flow, so post-interaction CSAT connects to behavior without third-party cookies.
Common mistakes
- Comparing CSAT across different scales or thresholds.
- Treating moment CSAT as overall loyalty.
- Ignoring response bias and survey timing.
Privacy and accuracy notes
CSAT is computed from aggregated survey responses and carries no personal identifiers itself. Responses should be handled without exposing individuals. This is educational, not legal advice.
Related pages
- Net Promoter Score (NPS) as a metric
Net Promoter Score (NPS) is a survey metric derived from one question — how likely you are to recommend, on a 0–10 scale. Respondents are bucketed into promoters (9–10), passives (7–8), and detractors (0–6), and NPS is the percentage of promoters minus the percentage of detractors, yielding a number from −100 to +100. It is simple and widely used, but the bucketing discards detail and ignores who answered.
- Customer effort score (CES)
Customer effort score (CES) measures how much effort a customer had to expend to complete a task — resolving an issue, making a purchase, finding an answer. It is captured by an agree/disagree statement about ease, scored on a scale, and lower effort is treated as better. CES targets friction specifically, which makes it different from satisfaction (CSAT) or recommendation likelihood (NPS).
- Conversion rate: definition and denominators
Conversion rate is the share of some base that converted. The trap is the denominator: conversions per session, per user, and per unique visitor give different numbers and mean different things. Without stating the base, a conversion rate is ambiguous — and comparing rates with different bases is meaningless.
- Events documentation
Capture satisfaction-rating events first-party.
Sources and verification notes
Last reviewed 2026-06-24. Facts are checked against primary/official sources where available; uncertain specifics are marked “Data not yet verified” rather than guessed.